Final Rehearsal and Wrap-Up Details

Well, Folks, it’s that time again. Our final rehearsal of the season is on Thursday, August 29. This will be another sight-reading evening, so no preparation is expected.

Please turn in your binders at the end of rehearsal on Thursday.

There is also a bunch of clean-up news for me to share:

Thank You

I have a short list of these but a lot of feeling goes into them:

To Nicole – for hosting us at her backyard on August 31 (details below).

To my fellow Committee Members – Bruce Wiebe, Dave Patrick, Christina Paul, and Jeff Yakel – for all their hard work and contributions in running the season. From Bruce chasing down playing opportunities for us, Dave ensuring we don’t bankrupt ourselves (and extra honourable mention for his tetris packing skills and ensuring we have percussion instruments every week), Christina’s invaluable knowledge of the music scene and ability to continually measure the pulse of the band, and, finally, Jeff’s dedication to ensuring that we have music that’s protected, organised, prepared, and most importantly, present at every outing. You all go above and beyond and the hard work you do is what keeps the band ticking along so smoothly. We owe you so much.

To each one of you – the Manitoba Millennium Band – it is such an honour to be able to stand before you and to share music with you. You have all grown so much into your musical abilities over the short time we rehearse. Your performances this year were just out of this world (blame it on Space and Beyond and Final Countdown!) Your dedication, commitment, willingness to take risks, openness to challenges, and (from my perspective), your two most important traits: your kindness and love of music, inspire me, humble me, and nourish my soul. There aren’t enough words to convey how much you all mean to me, and how important this ensemble is in my life. You set the gold standard of what a community band experience should be. This band is what it is because of each of you – your humour, your kindness, your best effort. I appreciate that we take the music seriously, but not ourselves. Thank you for laughing at my (bad) jokes, for your friendship, and for giving your all every moment of our time together. Each of you pushes the rest of us to be better, do better, and to care for one another. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

On a personal note, thank you so much for the lovely card, the candy, and the hanging plant arrangement. It was such a kind gesture. The card and the plant will be treasured for a long time to come! (The candy won’t last that long!)

Lost and Found (Really just Found):

• Saxophone stand – left behind awhile ago. We’ve been trying to offload this puppy all summer. We still have it and have had no takers yet.
• Wire Arm of a music stand – It looks like it may have broken off, so this may be actual garbage, but we have it if someone can weld… (We’re throwing it away after the season, though, so check your stand and speak up fast!)
• Yellow chamois-style cloth – Left behind after Aug 22 rehearsal.
• Flared Black part of an instrument stand – Not sure what this is for. Clarinet? Trumpet? Maybe something else? It might be part of a dual instrument stand or part of a single instrument stand. We found it after the Aug 22 rehearsal.

August 31 Barbecue

As I mentioned, Nicole has generously offered to host us in her backyard for a barbecue on Saturday, August 31. This will be a very informal event purely to enjoy each other’s company.

This will be a weather permitting event! If we need to cancel, we will post a blog entry announcing the cancellation no later than 11:00 am. Check the website before you head out! (Sometimes the email notices can take a couple of hours to be delivered, so this is one time when you should actually visit the site and not rely on email).

When: Saturday, August 31, 2:00 pm – whenever we get the boot (the food will be served at suppertime)

Where: Nicole’s house in Unicity. Since we don’t dox anyone, there are two ways to get the address:

1 – A printed directions sheet will be at rehearsal on Thursday.

2 – Email info@mbillenniumband.com with your request and we’ll email the information. Please make sure to include your name so we know that you should be getting the address!

Cost: $5/person. (This will cover the cost of hot dogs/hamburgers). Spouses/friends welcome. We are collecting there.

*** If you have special dietary request (e.g. gluten-free, vegetarian), please email us at info@mbmillenniumband.com so we can accommodate. ***

What to bring:

• Chair (or something comfy to sit on)
• Protective gear (hat, sunscreen, insect repellant, etc)
• Something edible to share with a few people
• BYOB

Some things to know:

• There is a fire pit that will likely be used.
• This is a pet-friendly house (dogs/cats) so those who have allergies are forewarned. (The pets will be segregated, but dander does what dander does).

Barbecue RSVP – Due August 29 at Midnight

I will be doing a count on Thursday at rehearsal. This is the preferred method to RSVP!

However, if you can’t make rehearsal, but you’re available to attend the barbecue, we still want to see you! Please email us at info@mbmillenniumband.com and use “Barbecue RSVP” in the subject line. We need to know: how many people are in your party and if there are dietary requirements.

Whatever you do, PLEASE DO NOT RSVP MORE THAN ONCE!!

See you Thursday!

Sincerely,

Elizabeth.